It has been recognized for some time that the medical issue involving the development of decubitus ulcers in bed-ridden patients, often those who are still in the environment of a hospital recovering from some medical event or condition, is a serious problem. Although there have been many approaches to solving this problem, many have shortcomings because they fail to grasp a full understanding of the key body-support and contact conditions that should exist if decubitus ulcer onset is to be reduced. In other words, prior art solutions are largely ineffective because they do not properly recognize, and address, the conditions under which decubitus ulcers develop.
Example embodiments of an effective anti-decubitus ulcer mattress overlay configured to function principally on the surface of a yieldable, underlying support structure, such as that furnished by a conventional hospital bed mattress, are provided in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/960,493, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. The example mattress overlays disclosed therein possess various characteristics effective in reducing the possibility of decubitus ulcer onset (these characteristics are also referred to herein as “anti-decubitus ulcer characteristics”), such as (1) avoiding high, applied anatomical pressure, and/or pressure-evenizing contact-loading characteristics defining how the anatomy of a bed-ridden patient is supported, (2) reducing friction and shear engagement between the overlay structure and a supported patient, (3) providing effective, ventilating, heat-removing, perspiration-managing, cooling airflow in the volumetric region disposed beneath the supported anatomy, such as to avoid overheating, and so forth.
There are circumstances, for example with regard to a bed-ridden patient, where it is important that some form of a protecting guard structure be provided, such as in order to restrict a patient's movement—for example, a lateral guard structure to prevent a patient from inadvertently and accidentally rolling off the under-anatomy structure and falling.
While there are many approaches to accomplishing such a guarding function, such as, for example, the installation of a rail system in the case of a hospital bed structure, or the installation of relatively firm (i.e. non-yieldable) and rigid lateral riser structure, these measures may not be suitable for the handling of a patient where, as is now usually always the case, there is a concern that overpressure on the resting anatomy, even for relatively short periods of time, if sustained, may cause the onset of a decubitus ulcer.
The present disclosure addresses the issues above by offering various embodiments of a mattress overlay system featuring a mattress overlay having anti-decubitus ulcer characteristics and a bolster structure, which also possesses anti-decubitus ulcer characteristics, that is configured to be selectively placeable in conditions of lateral under-engagement with the sides of the overlay to create inclined, lateral-side elevations of these sides at locations along the length of the overlay. In some embodiments, the anti-decubitus characteristics are achieved by both the overlay and the bolster structure having a similar core composition provided with a similar coating.
In some embodiments, the coating (of both the overlay and the bolster structure) in certain locations offers relatively free gas-breathability, and in other locations provides an impervious barrier to both gas and moisture.
In some embodiments, the core (of both the overlay and the bolster structure) includes a dynamic-response core expanse formed of an open-cell, compressible viscoelastic foam having a pre-stressed, partially compressed, relaxed-state volume to create a pre-compression condition, and an elastomeric, moisture- and gas-flow-managing, differential-thickness coating structure load-transmissively bonded to the entirety of the outside of the core expanse to function as a dynamically-responsive unit therewith, and possessing a relaxed-state, internal, pre-stressed tension condition, with the coating structure in some, respiration-window regions, being formed to be moisture-pervious and gas-permeable, and in other, non-respiration regions, being formed to be substantially moisture-impervious and gas-impermeable.
In some embodiments, portions of the coating structure of the system have an outer surface adapted to provide an interfacial stiction grip with other similarly-coated portions of the coating structure of the system, such as between the bolster structure and the sides of the overlay when engaged.
In some embodiments, the bolster structure includes multiple elongate bolsters each having a length approximately one-third of that of the overlay and a triangular cross-section along the length thereof. In some of such embodiments, the triangular cross-section specifically defines a right triangle, the sides of which have a relative dimensional ratio of 3:4:5. In some of such embodiments, the coating structure of each bolster defines moisture-pervious, moisture-resistant, and gas-permeable sublayers enclosing the entirety of the outside of its core expanse, and a moisture-impervious and gas-impermeable outer layer interfacially bonded to the outermost sublayer enclosing only (and thereby defining) non-respiration regions. In some of such embodiments, the respiration regions are disposed on, and extend over the entirety of, the opposed end surfaces of each bolster.
Various embodiments of a bolster structure system configured for use with an elongate anti-decubitus ulcer mattress overlay include elongate, positionally adjustable, relatively moveable, lateral-ramp, under-overlay bolster structure, such as multiple bolsters as briefly described herein.
The systems, concepts, components, features, and configurations briefly described above are clarified with reference to the accompanying drawings and detailed description below.